Johnny Trouble

Ethel Barrymore was a very well respected and classy actress from a family of well respected and beloved actors. In light of this, I found it rather sad to see her starring in "Johnny Trouble"...especially since it was her last film. Why? Because the writing and Stuart Whitman's acting were pretty limp at best.

The story begins with a college trying to kick everyone out of an apartment house so it can be converted into a dorm for male students. However, Katherine Chandler (Barrymore) isn't about to leave. After all, she owns her apartment and they cannot legally force her to move, so they eventually decide to let her live there...and the students begin calling this nice old lady 'Nana'.. One of the students, Johnny Chandler (Whitman), however, is a problematic jerk who seems mad at the world and self-destructive. Katherine convinces herself, with almost no evidence, that the guy is her grandson...the child of her estranged son whose current whereabouts are unknown.

So why was I so unimpressed by this one? Well, mostly it was Whitman's character...he seemed unreal and overacted. His brooding jerk act was anything but subtle...as was him inexplicable transformation at the end. While the film has a few interesting moments, overall it's a miss and probably not worth your trouble.

By the way, about the only positive about the movie is that Jack Larson (Jimmy Olsen from "The Adventures of Superman") met his life partner, James Bridges, on the set as both played students in the film.

This was Ethel Barrymore's final screen appearance and she bows out in a most dignified way.

The story stretches credulity but is a sweet tale of an elderly woman who chooses to remain in the hotel she has lived in for many years, and which contains an apartment she owns, when it is purchased by a university and transformed into a male dorm.

Taken on as a surrogate grandmother by the guys she lives in genteel peace in the best behaved dorm in existence. One day she discovers that one of the men, the angriest of them-the Johnny Trouble of the title, might be the son of her son who vanished decades before and she tries to straighten him out. Along the way she meets the girl who has fallen for Johnny, played by Carolyn Jones, and strikes up a friendship with her as well. So it goes for the most of the remainder of the film.

It's not a great film but endearing and a nice way for a great actress to close out her career.

Although her apartment building is turned into a men's dormitory, elderly Ethel Barrymore (Katherine "Nana" Chandler) decides to stay. After renovations, the "thundering herd" of young male college students arrive for the fall semester. They are quickly charmed by Ms. Barrymore, helping servant Cecil Kellaway (as Tom McKay) with her wheelchair, and even accompanying Barrymore to Church. Freshman trouble-maker Stuart Whitman (as John "Johnny" Chandler) catches Barrymore's attention with his antics and "Chandler" surname. An ex-Marine with a chip in his shoulder, Mr. Whitman drinks whiskey, gets bad grades, and sneaks out to squeeze the hourglass figure provided by promiscuous Carolyn Jones (as Julie Horton). Barrymore thinks Whitman may be her long-lost grandson, and fights to keep "Johnny Trouble" in school.

This re-make of "Someone to Remember" (1943) is most notable as the distinguished Ethel Barrymore's last screen appearance; approaching her eightieth birthday, she died in a couple of years. No doubt due to Barrymore's presence, director John H. Auer, photographer J. Peverell Marley, and the crew make the low-budget affair look relatively classy. The sentimental story is okay, but the "college kids" are silly and miscast. As examples of both, Whitman and "Jimmy Olsen"-type roommate Jack Larson (as Eddie Landis) receive special "Introducing" credits, but had been in features for years. Fresher faces include future "teen idol" Edward "Edd" Byrnes (as Elliott) and "Deep Purple" singer Nino Tempo (as Charlie). Future "Gypsy" actor Paul Wallace (as Paul) and the cast must have been thrilled to co-star with Barrymore.

****** Johnny Trouble (9/21/57) John H. Auer ~ Ethel Barrymore, Stuart Whitman, Carolyn Jones, Cecil Kellaway

Okay, I'm a big sap.

Ethel Barrymore stars in "Johnny Trouble," a 1957 film with Stuart Whitman, Cecil Kellaway, Carolyn Jones, Jack Larson, Edd "Kookie" Byrnes, Nino Tempo, Jim Bridges, Jesse White, and Sam Colt (Ethel Barrymore's son).

Barrymore plays Mrs. Chandler, who lives in a residential hotel being turned into a boys dormitory. She refuses to leave, and they can't make her - she owns the apartment and hasn't sold it to them. The college agrees to allow her to stay, and it's not long before she's charmed the boys.

One of them is named John Chandler, and Mrs. Chandler's own son left 27 years ago and was never heard from again. Mrs. Chandler believes that this John, a boozer and womanizer who is always in trouble, is her grandson. When he's about to be expelled, she intercedes for him, and the agreement is that he will live with her, and then they will both move to another place after the semester.

This was Ethel Barrymore's final film. As always, she was very dignified. Cecil Kellaway was delightful as her assistant, and Jesse White was appropriately exasperated.

I thought this was a sweet and sentimental story. My big complaint is that these college kids didn't look like any college kids I've ever seen - they were for the most part too old.

Carolyn Jones is a knockout as Johnny's girlfriend - beautiful and sexy, with her unusual sleek haircut for those days and her blue eyes. She was a fine actress and very enjoyable in this.

Stuart Whitman was okay and since he had been a Marine, maybe the fact that he looked like he was about 30 was okay - if some of these guys were in the Korean war, I suppose looking a little older was fine, if distracting.

The actor in this film listed as "Jim Bridges" has a separate listing from the director "James Bridges," but I think they are one and the same.

By the way, the 1940 film "Johnny Apollo" supposedly started these "Johnny" films. In looking over the films with the name "Johnny" and a last name, Johnny Apollo seems to have been the first one.

Sentimental tale of an elderly woman awaiting a reunion with her long-lost "bad" son. Sadly, this was Ethel Barrymore's last film. And, again, sadly, the plot (based on Ben Ames Williams' short story) was handled exquisitely in the forgotten 1943 version entitled "Someone to Remember". This uninspired re-make has its moments, and Barrymore is, as always, splendid, but Stuart Whitman and the supporting cast can't hold a candle to the definitive, original movie. Seek out "Someone to Remember" and let this weak re-do be forgotten.